Peyton Manning doesn't want to be Brock Osweiler's backup, report says

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning warms up during a practice at the team's headquarters ...

The exclamation points and quick response to the report during Sunday's pregame coverage show just how much that report from Ian Rapoport - and the ensuing debate from the in-studio panelists that included former National Football League players Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk - incensed the Denver Broncos as they prepared for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Since being removed from a November 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, he hadn't thrown with the team at all until returning to the practice field this week. For some, the belief is that Brock Osweiler has done enough to earn the job going forward; for others, Manning provides the highest upside for a team craving a Super Bowl championship.

In fact, Kubiak said Manning had some soreness in his injured left foot this morning and that was a big reason he didn't practice today.

"He came in this morning and was a little sore, so we just said, 'Okay, we'll stop for the weekend and we'll go from there, ' so we'll pick back up on Monday", Broncos Coach Gary Kubiak said (via DenverBroncos.com). But it is a trying time for Peyton Manning, who has always been a starter his entire career.

Only the top two teams in each conference earn a bye, and the Broncos enter the critical stretch facing the Steelers (8-5) and then the Bengals, before wrapping up the regular season against the struggling San Diego Padres (3-10). Manning appeared in practice for the first time in 31 previous practices on Wednesday in a limited capacity, but was ultimately held out Friday's practice.

In an interview with WDSU's Lionel Bienvenu, Archie said Thursday, "He's really had this foot problem that's been going on for five or six months".

Manning will miss his fifth consecutive game Sunday as he recovers from a tear in his left heel.

"I just heard about that, " Kubiak said Friday of Archie Manning's comments. The progress has been very good.

Yet Elway wanted to make clear in his statement that even if Manning might unsure about that role, he has not been acting out to his bosses.